


In My Veins

by spaceteacups



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Break Up, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter is Not a Cannibal, Hannibal is Hannibal, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Alana Bloom/Will Graham, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Someone Help Will Graham, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25994323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceteacups/pseuds/spaceteacups
Summary: "Mr Graham, it's a pleasure to meet you."When Hannibal extended his hand, Will couldn't help the look of 'are you fucking serious?' that crossed his face. But when Hannibal didn't falter, Will was forced to shake his hand as though he was just another one of the hundreds of people Will had crossed paths with tonight.*Will was just trying to enjoy his date with the lovely Alana Bloom when an all to familiar face shows up. Now Will is forced to face the man he thought he left back in Virginia six long years ago.ORBreak-up AU
Relationships: Alana Bloom & Hannibal Lecter, Alana Bloom & Will Graham, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 12
Kudos: 64





	In My Veins

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hello :D 
> 
> WARNINGS!  
> There will be changes to the tags. Please keep an eye on them as the fic is updated.  
> This book will contain sexual content...eventually ;)  
> It was contain a lot of general angst in case that's not your thing!
> 
> Otherwise, thank you for reading :D I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Not beta read.

Will was having as close to fun as he'd ever manage at an event like this. He couldn't bring himself to complain about the amount of pretentious people swarming him, or their overly expensive suits, or even the weird fancy finger food that everyone but him seemed to be enjoying immensely, but he wanted to.

  
What he couldn't complain about though, was Alana Bloom, who was currently holding lightly onto his arm as they walked around the gardens. She laughed when he made a bad joke and she kissed him on the cheek in front of groups of people and he felt...good. Happy, with her attention. 

  
The night was thankfully drawing to an end and Will was grateful for it. Certain he had introduced himself to half of Baltimore and promised to attend about a dozen dinner parties that he really had no intention of attending, he was ready for a few days of social silence.

"You're doing well, Will." Alana praised quietly and Will was caught with a wave of displeasure at the phrase. It reminded him too much of a mother trying to reassure a frightened child, suddenly Alana's hand on his arm felt more for his sake than hers.

  
"Right." Will said, and they continued their way back to the main hall.

  
They walked in silence and Will tried to let go of Alana's accidental condescension. He chided himself for reacting to it the way he did, knowing she meant it as a reassuring gesture, even if it felt almost mocking. Whatever. Determined not to let it sour what had been one of the best nights he'd had in a long time, he turned to her. Deciding that now was as good a time as any to ask if she'd want to spend the night with him. She look over at him and smiled, and for a minute Will couldn't think if anything besides how gentle and pretty Alana's smile was. He prayed he wouldn't mess this up.

  
"Miss Bloom." 

  
Will froze on the spot. He recognised the voice and knew instantly that he really didn't have to worry about messing it up. As soon as the all to familiar accent had reached his ears , he knew the night was already a lost cause. He couldn't bring himself to lift his head from the spot on the floor that he had chosen to zero in on, he could barely bring himself to breathe. If he looked up now then it was real, and if it was real he'd have to face it. Face him. 

  
"Doctor Lecter!" Alana called cheerfully and her hand slipped from the crook of Wills elbow as she moved to embrace the man. As soon as she did, Wil missed her touch. His only gauge for reality had slipped from his hands and was now hugging what he had hoped was only a nightmare. "I can't belive we almost missed you!"

  
Will eye's refused to lift and he could only pray that the scowl on his face was not so obvious that he would draw attention to himself. Will knew it would make no difference if he looked up or not. Shaking the doctor was no easy task and unexpectedly seeing Will was hardly enough to cause him to stumble.

  
"If I'm being truthful, I spent most of the evening cooked up inside, talking to some people who seemed reluctant to let me go. How have you been, Alana?"

  
Hannibal and Alana fell into easy conversation and Will couldn't suppress the frustration that was growing at the fact that these two even knew each other. They seemed extremely well acquainted. In fact, they way they spoke was almost intimate. Will wondered if the universe was ever going to let him keep anything good in his life, or if it planned on continuing to rip the rug out from under his feet every chance it got.

  
"Oh, how rude of me!" Alana said, suddenly. Her attention turned back to Will as if she had just remembered he was there. "Hannibal this is Will Graham, he works with Jack Crawford at the Behavioural Science Unit."

  
Will was forced to look up now that he had been acknowledged. Hannibal was already looking at him with a fond amusement in his eyes that almost made Will roll his. Smug bastard, even now.

  
"Mr Graham, it's a pleasure to meet you."

  
When Hannibal extended his hand, Will couldn't help the look of _'are you fucking serious?'_ that crossed his face. But when Hannibal didn't falter, Will was forced to shake his hand as though he was just another one of the hundreds of people Will had crossed paths with tonight.

"You too uhhh...What did you say your name was again?"

Hannibal's eye's flashed and narrowed with a familiar warning, a warning that Will no longer needed to heed. Will waited patiently, tilting his head with an unspoken _'well then?'_

"Hannibal Lecter."

"Right, Mr lecter." 

"Doctor." Hannibal corrected though showed no signs of frustration, but he never really did. He could be thinking about slapping Will for that blatant show of disrespect and Will would be none the wiser.

  
The tense silence that followed was uncomfortable enough that Will almost felt like apologising to Alana, she was an outstanding psychiatrist after all, and Will knew she must have been driving herself slightly mad trying to figure out why Will was suddenly so on edge. In the end, it was her that broke the silence.

  
"Will and I were just about to leave but I'm sure we could stick around for a moment longer if you'd like to catch a drink?"

_Don't you fucking dare._

  
"As much as I'd hate to impose, I have missed you terribly. Perhaps a couple of drinks, I wont keep you long." 

  
_Bastard_.

  
"Nonsense," Alana chimed happily, "It's not imposing if I'm offering. Besides, I think a chance to catch up would do us both some good."  
Hannibal smiled and Will could see a genuine fondness for Alana in the gesture. A fondness that he knew Hannibal felt for very few people. Will couldn't tell whether that was comforting or unsettling, but he was pretty sure it was the latter. 

  
"A drink would also provide me with the opportunity to get to know your friend here."

  
Hannibal knew exactly what buttons to push and exactly how to push them. After all, he'd practically wrote the book on Getting Under Will Graham's Skin. It was as infuriating back then as it was now.  
Will didn't even bother to try to hide to look of blatant dismay as Alana took Will's arm and lead them to the drinks.

  
* 

Will had never felt more like a third wheel in his life, and he was pretty sure this was supposed to be his date. Alana and Hannibal were cozy and an annoyingly persistent part of his brain kept telling him that this is what he and Hannibal once were. This is what he could have been with Alana.

  
They were sitting at a small round table, all evenly spaced out. From an outside perspective, Will imagined it looked like Hannibal and Alana were together. They did look much more suited for one another. Alana was dressed in a pretty red dress, her hair was perfectly styled and she was the face of elegance. Hannibal was much the same, though instead of a dress he donned a three-piece suit. _Him and his fucking suits._ Hannibal's hair was as pristine as it always was. They looked almost as though they'd walked off the front page of a fashion magazine.

  
Will wore an old suit that he quite frankly couldn't remember ever buying. It was old but not tattered, he knew it was still presentable enough and no one had pointed it out so far. Though he supposed that next to Hannibal and Alana, he must have looked out-of-place. He tried not to sulk.

  
He'd done well avoiding conversation. Hannibal and Alana had much to discuss which didn't involve Will. He wasn't there for any of what they we're talking about and so, he had no obligation to join in. If he was anyone else, he might have been bitter about being so forgotten about at the edge of the table but Will was praying that it stayed this way for however long the night lasted.

  
Occasionally Alana would turn to him, and clue him in on whatever they were talking about and Will would try his best to look interested. He really would try but he knew Alana would pick up on it. One of the down sides of dating a psychiatrist was how painfully in tune to your moods they were. You'd think he would have learned the first time.

  
The conversation between Hannibal and Alana began to slowly fizzle out, and Hannibal eventually left to get them more drinks. He'd asked Will's whiskey order and Will caught himself just before he could utter _'my usual'_. 

  
As soon as he was out of ear shot, Alana turned to him.   
"How are you doing, Will?" and there that coddling mother was back again.

  
"I'm good, Alana." He said as sincere as he could. He had been good, up until Hannibal had arrived. He had been genuinely enjoying being around people for the first time in a long time. 

  
She smiled at him, "Thank you for indulging me tonight. I know this isn't really your scene-"

  
"Seriously Alana, I'm fine. I'm enjoying myself. You don't have to worry about me."

  
She at least had the decency to look guilty as she grabbed his hand from where it tapped nervously again the table top. "I know," She said, quietly. 

  
Hannibal returned then with their drinks. He placed the tray down on the table with an elegance Will already knew he wouldn't have managed.

  
"So, Mr Graham-"

  
"Will is fine, really." Because there was no way he could get through the rest of the night if Hannibal insisted on addressing him like on of his students would. He had never been _'Mr Graham'_ to Hannibal.

  
"Tell me then, Will," He started and that look was back in his eyes that made Will want to gouge them out. He had no right to look at Will like that, he hadn't for a long time. "What is it like working with the FBI?"

  
A fair question, Will supposed, it was the first thing people normally asked when he introduces himself. 

  
"It's alright," he answered truthfully, trying to ignore the weight of both Hannibal's and Alana's gaze on him as he spoke. "I teach, mainly. It's interesting if nothing else."

  
"Shaping the young minds of our world," Hannibal said and Will was expecting that because this must have been the fiftieth time he had heard it tonight. "You said you teach mainly, are there other roles you play?"

  
He could feel Alana's panicked gaze on his face as awaited his answer. He'd held back on telling everyone else at the party that he reconstructed crime scenes for a living. That he invited himself into the minds of serial killers and nested there until he had solved his crime. That was, admittedly, not the sort of thing you spoke about at a gathering like this.

  
"None that you'd be interested in, I'm sure." He answered, despite knowing how untrue it was. Hannibal would have loved this, if he had been here. He spent hours in bed before they fell asleep dissecting Wills brain. He imagined Hannibal would be giddy with excitement the opportunity to do the same now that Will's psyche had taken a beating.

  
"Well," He said and then to Will's surprise continued it with, "I think teaching is a very admirable profession. What do you teach on?" 

  
He should have pressed. He should have made it so that Will couldn't not tell him what the other part of his job was, Will was expecting it but instead he'd moved on. A swift shift into a separate topic. If Will could have been anymore freaked out by tonight, _this_ would have been the thing to do it.

  
"Uh, forensics." He answered trying to word it the way he would for a stranger, someone who genuinely wouldn't wish to hear about the horrors that Will taught about. "Alana teaches too."

  
And just like that, the conversation moved away again and Will was able to relax. Only joining in when he was directly spoken to.   
By the end of the night, Will was positively exhausted. So when Hannibal offered the chance for Alana and Will to go back to his place for drinks and a meal, Will readily declined.

  
"I have to get home for my dogs." He said as politely as he could, "Thank you for the invite, though." 

  
Hannibal inclined his head in a nod of acknowledgement before turning to Alana. She seemed to be actually considering it and Will wasn't sure how offended he should be at that. Alana had come as his date, they had spent the entire evening together, surely there was some expectation that you leave with the same man you came with? _Whatever_. He wasn't going to stop Alana from going back to Hannibal's if that's what she wanted. Will already knew there was no chance of her accepting an invitation back to his own home in Wolftrap.

  
"Thank you, Hannibal but I have work tomorrow. Another night, though, I promise. I've missed your cooking."

  
Will had too, but he wouldn't say that.

  
"I'm holding you to that promise, Doctor Bloom." he said, playfully before turning on Will. "You should join us."

  
_No_. "Maybe." Will replied with a smile he hoped was polite enough. He briefly considered it. Maybe one awkward evening was worth the opportunity to taste Hannibal's cooking again. He wasn't sure he'd eaten anything as nice as it in the 6 years they'd been apart. He barely manged to eat a proper meal most nights.

  
They walked out together. Hannibal walked them to Will's car and kissed Alana on the cheek as they said goodbye. For a horrifying second, Will was sure he was going to do the same to him.

  
"I hope to see you again, Will." He said instead and Will gave a curt nod. He opened the door for Alana and moved round to open the door for himself. Catching Hannibal's eye for a brief second over the roof. It was a physical ache in his chest to see him here, now.

  
"Drive safe, WIll." 

  
"You too, Doctor Lecter.

  
*

  
Will drove Alana home without any expectation of being invited inside. He's glad that she wouldn't, for what he needed now was a stiff whiskey and a good sleep. The car slowed to a stop outside of Alana's house, the two sat in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time. 

  
"I had fun ton-"

  
"You're not telling me something." Alana cut in and Will immediately fell silent. He knew she would notice, he just hoped that she wouldn't bring it up. "I don't know what it is, and I don't want to push you on it but I want you to know that you can talk to me about it. Whatever it is."

  
"Alana, you really do-"

  
"I know it's something to do with Hannibal. You practically turned to stone as soon as he spoke." Alana didn't sound pitiful, which he guessed was an improvement from the mother-like tone she had used earlier. "Do you know him?"

  
Will didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He could lie, he had so far but he figured there was no use if she was already asking. He licked his lips and opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again when he realised he had no explanation for her.

  
"How do you know Hannibal, Will?" 

Will sighed and looked at the car that was parked in front of his on the road. "We met in Virginia, it was so long ago now that I barely even remember it."

  
"What happened in Virginia?" Alana's voice was soft, too soft. Will almost wanted her to be mad at him. He wanted her to be pissed that he lied.

  
"Nothing happened." Will replied, and it almost sounded true. He had told this lie so many times to himself over the past six years that he could almost believe it. But there was a stubborn part of his brain that refused to hear it, it insisted that _everything_ had happened. _Everything and more._ So much happened over those two years that Will couldn't even begin to put it in to words.

  
"It sounds as if you have history."

That was all it supposed to be, after he left. Hannibal was supposed to be history. Virginia was supposed to be history. Everything he had been back in Virginia was supposed to be left there. Left in the past. But now it was all resurfacing and Will was struggling to suppress the feelings that were trying so hard to resurface too.

  
"I won't push you on it. But it won't do you any good to keep it bottled up. You know that.,"

  
"You're not my therapist, Alana." He almost felt bad for saying it, he knew it was a low blow but he was exhausted. Weighed down with old memories and pained with old wounds reopening.

  
"I'm not trying to analyse you, Will. Just extending a hand." Her voice was so soft, and understanding and it hurt Will to hear it. Because in that moment he knew, he could never have this. Her. She was too delicate, soft. He would ruin her. He was too ruined for her.  
She wanted to heal him. He seemed to forever be the wounded baby bird around her. And everyone knows what happens to those baby birds. She'd feel guilty when she couldn't help him and he couldn't let that happen.

  
He clutched the steering wheel, she picked up her purse. 

  
"Goodnight, Will." She leaned over and kissed his cheek before getting out of the car. Will waited until he saw her get safely through the front door before starting the hour-long drive back home.

  
*

  
That night, Will drank too much whiskey. He laid down with his dogs for slightly too long, and stared at the ceiling until his eyes stung.

  
That night he came with a groan into his pillow, a hand wrapped just too tight around his dick, picturing a set of near crimson eyes and a tantalising accent that he had spent the past six years trying to forget.

  
That night Will shed the first tears he had since the night he left Hannibal behind. 


End file.
